Torn
by Ikiko Sohma
Summary: Tired of being underestimated, Sakura sets off on her own to capture Itachi Uchiha. However, the tables turn when she herself is captured by the Akatsuki. Struggling to stay alive within the heart of the criminal organization, she uncovers dark secrets and learns harsh truths that lead her to question everything she thought she knew; and finds herself torn between two worlds.
1. Chapter 1

**I've had this story stuck in my head for months and I've finally decided to get it all out!**

 **A few things before we begin this adventure:**

 **1\. The basic concept of this story is a popular one. Sakura gets captured by the Akatsuki. If you are reading this story and find that it's similar to other stories you have read with the same basic plot line, I assure you it's not because I'm coping anyone else's work. It's simply a popular plot and there are bound to be similarities.**

 **2\. I try my absolute hardest to keep all the characters in character. I can't stand OOCness. However, sometimes it can't be helped. Characters can be stubborn and in order for them to do what you want them to do you sometimes need to give them a little push. That being said, I do try to keep their personalities as unaltered as possible.**

 **3\. This story is rated M for a reason. There won't be anything too dark in the beginning but that will change later on.**

 **There will be warnings.**

 **4\. I will update as much as possible but unfortunately I have to also engage in this silly little thing called "real life". I do not like this thing. It is not fun.**

 **Now that all those formalities are out of the way, let's go on a journey with Sakura and Itachi my dear readers!**

 **I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

 _My tea's gone cold_

 _I'm wondering why I got out of bed at all_

 _The morning rain clouds up my window_

 _And I can't see at all_

 _And even if I could it'd all be grey,_

 _But your picture on my wall_

 _It reminds me that it's not so bad_

 _It's not so bad_

The sun was shining brightly in the morning sky, just as it had every day for the past few months. Summers were always hot throughout the Land of Fire and the Village Hidden in the Leaves was no exception. This summer though was especially hot. Most of the citizens of Konoha had taken to spending most of the day indoors where they could stay cool away from the blistering sun.

Sakura Haruno stepped out into the sun and wiped a trail of sweat off her forehead. It had been a long night at the hospital and she was exhausted. Not only had she overseen three major operations, her supply order from Suna had been late and she wouldn't leave until it had gotten there safely. She supposed she shouldn't complain though. She was used to long shifts and the operations had been successful. Her order arrived, albeit late, without issue and once she had taken stock and made one more round to check on her patients, she decided it was safe for her to go home for the day.

She was hot and tired and all she wanted was a cold shower and a long nap. As she walked up to her front door she could almost hear the water of her shower running. She placed her hand on the door knob and paused. ' _Weird_ ' she thought to herself. She could have sworn she had locked her door when she had left for the hospital yesterday. She opened the door and stepped into her apartment and instantly froze. She HAD been hearing her shower running. She grabbed the kunai she kept by the front door and silently made her way to the bathroom. Whoever was in there had just turned the water off and was humming quietly. She paused for a second. Ino sometimes invited herself over and made herself at home in Sakura's apartment, and that included using the shower and "borrowing" Sakura's clothes; even after complaining about them being "way too tight around the chest", much to Sakura's annoyance.

But that couldn't be right, Ino was away on a mission and wasn't supposed to be back for another couple days. No; whoever was in Sakura's shower was an unwelcomed intruder. Sakura gripped the kunai in her hand and prepared to kick the door down, when suddenly it opened. She froze.

Sakura was greeted by Naruto.

A very naked Naruto.

Naruto looked at Sakura with confusion for a second and then awkwardly laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Hey there Sakura."

All she could do was stare in shock. Naruto had entered her house without permission.

"Uh, Sakura...?"

Naruto had used her shower without her permission.

"You in there Sakura?"

Naruto had used her shampoo.

He poked her forehead with a concerned look on his face. "You alright?"

Naruto. Was. In. Her. Apartment. Naked.

"NAAAAAARUUUUUUTOOOOO!" She screamed at him with her fist raised.

"Oh shit..."

She punched him in his face and watched as he flew backwards into the bathroom. He crashed into the wall with a dazed look.

"You bastard! Cover yourself up!"

"Alright alright, jeez..."

"NOT WITH MY TOWEL!"

Ten minutes later Sakura was bringing a cup of tea to Naruto at her kitchen table while he iced the large bump on his head with a pout on his face.

"I don't know why you're so mad. I needed to shower and you weren't here. It's not a big deal."

She sat down in the chair across from him and raised an eyebrow. "And you couldn't use your own shower because...?"

"I ran out of hot water so I figured I would just use yours." He shrugged and took a sip of tea. Sakura's eyebrow twitched. He really could be an idiot sometimes.

Still, she couldn't be completely angry with him. Despite his more annoying habits, he was good company and she valued the time they spent together. She watched him sipping his tea as he went on about something funny Kiba had said to him earlier. She never really told him out loud how much he meant to her and she felt a little guilty about it but in her heart she knew that Naruto didn't need her to tell him; he knew. And she knew he felt the same way. They were very close, and even though they had joined their team only recently, Sai and Captain Yamato were also part of that bond that all of Team Kakashi shared.

Bonds. That word held so much meaning. Bonds were what tied them all together; herself, Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, Captain Yamato, Sai, and…

No. She couldn't think about him. She wouldn't.

But that was a lie and she had to admit it. She thought about him all the time. No matter what she was doing he was always there in the back of her mind. Her long-lost teammate. Her childhood crush. The boy she still yearned for. He was out there somewhere, growing stronger so he could kill his older brother.

He was growing stronger, and she was here in the village treating the wounded. She was not ashamed of her path as a medic nin, not at all. And she was definitely much stronger than she had been three years ago. Training under Lady Tsunade had paid off well. She was a renowned medic, especially now that her skills were admired not just in Konoha but in Suna as well after she saved the Kazekage's brother. Gaara had been very grateful to her for saving Kankuro's life, as was the rest of their village.

Yes, she had a lot to be proud of. But still, she couldn't help but remember the promise she had made to herself. She would work as hard as she possibly could, to not only catch up to Naruto and Sasuke, but to pass them. She refused to have to look at their backs anymore.

Those thoughts brought her back to Sasuke. She supposed she would always be looking at his back now. Always chasing him, always trying to find him; to bring him home.

"Hey, Sakura!"

She was brought out of her reverie and saw Naruto looking at her.

"Sorry Naruto, I spaced out! What were you saying?"

He looked at her sympathetically. "You were thinking about him weren't you?"

Her smile faded and she looked down at her hands, still holding her tea. "Yeah, I was. How'd you know?"

"You always get a sad look on your face when you're thinking about him." He reached over the table and put his hand on hers. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She looked at him sadly. He was always looked so happy, but she knew that just below his bubbly surface, he was just as sad as she was. She may have lost a teammate and her childhood crush, but he had lost his best friend. She knew he was suffering as much as she was; probably even more so. She placed her other hand over his. "I just miss him; you know? It's been three years since he's left and it still feels like it was just yesterday. I want him home so badly." She couldn't stop her voice from cracking but she held back the tears.

Naruto looked at her with guilt in his eyes. "I'm so sorry Sakura… I promised you I would bring him back, and I haven't yet." He looked down ashamed. "I broke my promise."

"No Naruto, don't blame yourself!" She squeezed her hand and offered him a smile. "I know you tried. You tried so hard, and I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am to you for wanting to keep your promise. It's not your fault you couldn't get him to come back."

Looking up Naruto returned her smile, his eyes alight with the fire she so often saw there. "I'm not giving up on my promise." He vowed. "I swear to you Sakura; I will bring Sasuke home. We have a plan now, remember? We're going to find that bastard brother of his and use him to find Sasuke. He'll come home Sakura, I know he will."

She gave him a smile that didn't quite match his.

After Naruto finished his tea and left, Sakura wandered to her bedroom and sat on her bed. She was exhausted and thinking so much about Sasuke had exhausted her mind even more. She looked at the picture on her nightstand. It was the group photo of Team 7 when they had first become a team. She smiled sadly as she looked at them. Kakashi-sensei still looked the same, but herself and Naruto looked very different now. They had both grown taller, especially Naruto. He had turned into a very handsome young man. But it wasn't just their appearance that had changed over the last few years. They had grown emotionally and mentally as well. Naruto was still Naruto, and she was positive he always would be; but he had matured. He had a certain kind of wisdom to him now, and he had grown into an amazing shinobi.

She had changed as well. She was no longer the naïve young girl in that picture, who's only goal in life was for Sasuke to notice her. She no longer shied away from danger every time it reared its head. She was so much stronger than she used to be; both emotionally and physically.

Her gaze moved to the third member of Team 7. Sasuke had changed as well. She could still see him standing there, at Orochimaru's hideout. He had also grown taller, slightly taller than Naruto; and like Naruto, he had grown into a very handsome young man. But it wasn't his appearance that had shocked her. His indifference towards them had destroyed her heart.

He had even tried to kill Naruto. His best friend.

His hatred had consumed him and he saw only the path of revenge. It was a path he was determined to walk alone; he had made that clear to her the night he left the village. She had begged him to stay. She had even begged him to take her with him when he had refused.

Could she have done it? Could she really have betrayed her village for him if he had given her the chance? Part of her didn't want to know the answer to that. She had been so young and foolish, who knows what she would have done to be with the boy she had loved.

' _Still love.'_ Her inner self corrected as she laid down on her bed and stared up at her ceiling. It was true. She had never gotten over him no matter how hard she had tried. And heaven knows she had tried.

She often wondered why she still carried such a torch for someone who had been nothing but cold to her. Even before he had left, Sasuke had never shown any interest in her. Sure, he had never been _hostile_ to her back then, but he certainly had never been warm either. But she supposed feelings weren't always logical. She felt how she felt and that was that.

And now they had a new plan to find him. His brother. His clan-killing, psychotic, Akatsuki affiliated brother. She didn't know very much about Itachi Uchiha, other than the fact that he was a terrible person.

She felt herself drifting off to sleep, her mind filled with visions of a boy with Sharingan eyes.

* * *

Sakura ran toward the hokage tower, cursing her alarm clock for not being loud enough. She had fallen asleep the previous day and had slept like a rock. Her lack of sleep from working so much at the hospital had caught up to her and she hadn't woken up until almost noon the following day. She supposed she should be grateful for the sleep, but today was not the day for it.

Today was the day they were to be briefed on their mission to find and capture Itachi Uchiha.

Sakura reached the Hokage's office and practically crashed through the door in her haste.

"I'm sorry I'm so late my lady!" She panted as she looked around the office.

Naruto and Kakashi sensei were already there, along with Sai and Captain Yamato.

She looked at Lady Tsunade who seemed less than pleased at her sudden appearance. Sakura supposed it was due to her tardiness.

"What did I miss?" She asked.

Lady Tsunade glanced at Kakashi who looked uncomfortable. He looked at Sakura and seemed unsure of what to say.

"Well," he started, "we were just leaving for the mission."

"Great," she replied, "you can brief me on the way."

Kakashi scratched the back of his head and looked like he'd rather be anywhere but in that room. "Actually Sakura, there's been a slight change in plans..."

Sakura frowned at him, confused. "What kind of change?"

Lady Tsunade answered for him, "It's been decided that you will not be going on this mission."

Sakura stared at her, unsure if she had heard correctly or if she had imagined it due to the fogginess in her head caused by too much sleep.

"I'm sorry, I must have heard you wrong. I thought you said I'm not going." She laughed, but stopped when Tsunade gave her a pointed look.

"That's exactly what I said."

"But... my lady, I don't understand!" She rounded on Kakashi who seemed to want nothing more than to melt into the background. "Who decided this?!" She demanded.

"I did." She turned back to Lady Tsunade, confusion and hurt on her face.

"My Lady, if this is because I was late I'm so sorry! I won't be late again, I mean, I hardly ever am! I was just so tired and I fell asleep and then I didn't hear my alarm and-"

"Sakura that's enough." Lady Tsunade held up her hand to stop her. "This isn't due to your tardiness. I made this decision based on other reasons."

"What other reasons?!" She demanded.

"Watch your tone!" Tsunade hissed. "If you want me to be completely honest, I don't think you're cut out for this mission."

Sakura felt like the floor had disappeared from underneath her. She stared dumbstruck at her mentor and tried to find words.

Naruto stepped towards her with sympathy in his eyes. "I tried to make her reconsider Sakura, but she wouldn't budge."

"Why?" She asked, ignoring Naruto. "Why am I not cut out for this mission?"

It was Sai who answered, "The Hokage believes that your personal feelings may jeopardize the mission. She feels that the love you have for the traitor may make you irrational."

Sakura rounded on Sai, her eyes blazing. "His name is _Sasuke_ , Sai. Call him 'traitor' again and I'll punch your face in." She hissed.

Sai simply looked at her with his blank expression. "Case and point."

"Don't take this out on Sai, Sakura; he didn't make this decision, I did."

She turned back to Tsunade, trying to keep her temper in check. "With all due respect, my lady" She ground out, "if you think my personal feelings will jeopardize the mission, then why are you letting Naruto go? Are his feelings not a problem? He's just as desperate to get Sasuke back as I am!"

Tsunade sighed. "If I had it my way, Naruto wouldn't be going either. However, as it stands, he's our only hope that this mission will succeed."

Kakashi put a comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder. "The Akatsuki is after the Nine Tails. Naruto is our best chance of luring Itachi out of hiding."

Sakura was struggling to keep her temper in check, and she her patience was quickly slipping. Inside, she was raging. She hadn't trained so hard just to be left behind.

She glared boldly at Lady Tsunade, not backing down when the Hokage raised her eyebrow as if daring Sakura challenge her authority.

"Is this really about my feelings, or do you just think I'm too weak?" Sakura hissed at her mentor.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Watch yourself Sakura. Keep talking to me like that and I'll send you flying out of this office. This has nothing to do with your physical strength. It's your emotions that concern me."

Sakura balled her fists at her side. "So you don't believe in me." Before she knew it she was yelling. "So all the time I spent training with you was for nothing?! You don't think I'm good enough, is that it?!"

Kakashi intervened before the shocked Hokage could counter. "Sakura, that's not it. We know how strong you are-"

"No you don't!" She glared daggers at her former sensei, "how could you of all people possibly know how strong I am? You never cared about my training!"

Kakashi stared at her in shock. "Of course I cared Sakura, you're my student."

"Oh am I? That's funny, because from where I was standing it seemed like Naruto and Sasuke were the only students you cared about. You put a lot of effort into their training, but never once did you take the same time or care with mine." She couldn't keep the hurt from her voice and she knew Kakashi heard it when he looked down with guilt.

"Sakura, enough. I know you're angry but you don't need to take it out on people." Tsunade scolded. "My decision is final, and throwing a tantrum won't change my mind. If anything it proves that you're too emotional for your own good."

Naruto took a tentative step towards the fuming kunoichi.

"Listen Sakura, I'm upset about this too. I would give anything to have you out there with us on this mission. You know I would. But Sakura I promise you, I'm going to accomplish this mission and I'm going to get Sasuke back!"

Sakura turned to him. She saw the determination in his eyes, and usually that would be enough to convince her. But not this time. She looked at her friend coldly and said, "The last time you promised that you failed."

Naruto flinched as though she had stuck him. She instantly regretted saying it. He looked down at the floor, hurt and guilt in his eyes. Everyone else was staring at her as though they didn't know who she was.

Suddenly the room felt too small, she couldn't handle it. She felt like she was suffocating.

Without another word she bolted from the Hokage's office and out of the tower. She didn't know where she was going, she just ran.

How could this be happening? She had trained so hard and now she was being left behind _again_. It wasn't fair.

Once she stopped running she realized she wasn't in the village anymore. She collapsed on the ground and panted heavily. She knew she had made a scene back in the Hokage's office, and she felt horrible for what she had said to Naruto. He hadn't deserved that. She had just been so angry. How could Lady Tsunade think so little of her? Hadn't she proved herself over and over again? She was almost as strong as Tsunade herself, and her medical skills were unmatched. She had saved Kankuro's life when no one else could; hell, she had killed a member of the Akatsuki! True, Lady Chiho had helped quite a bit but it was through their combined skill and teamwork that had put an end to Sasori's life.

She stared at the ground in frustration. Why did no one have faith in her? What more would she have to do to be appreciated? If she were allowed to go on this mission, she would be able to show everyone that she wasn't useless. That she could be beneficial to the team and that her emotions wouldn't get in the way of their goal.

But she was banned from the mission; she couldn't show them.

She blinked.

' _Wait,'_ she thought, ' _maybe I_ can _show them.'_

She stood up and clenched her fists.

She had been banned from going on the mission with Naruto and the others, but that didn't mean she couldn't go after Itachi Uchiha. She could go without them and prove once and for all that she was a capable kunoichi.

Sure, Tsunade would be angry with her for leaving the village; but when she returned with the elder Uchiha brother as her prisoner, Tsunade would have to forgive her. And maybe then she would stop being looked at as the useless, emotional member of Team Kakashi.

She smiled then, and looked up at the sky.

' _Yes'_ she thought with determination, ' _I can do this. I'm going to find Itachi Uchiha.'_


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello dear readers!**

 **Wow, thank you so much for your reviews! They mean so much to me.**

 **I have so many great ideas for this story and I'm really looking forward to where it will go.**

 **So without further ado, I give you chapter 2!**

 **I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

 _Give me a word  
_ _Give me a sign  
_ _Show me where to look_ _Tell me what will I find  
Lay me on the ground  
Fly me in the sky  
Show me where to look  
Tell me what will I find_

Kakashi stared at the door Sakura had just exited. He was still recovering from what had just happened in the office. He had known that Sakura wasn't going to take kindly to the news that she was being left behind, but he honestly hadn't expected her to be _that_ angry.

He supposed he couldn't blame her though. After all, getting Sasuke back was her main priority so to have that taken away from her had to hurt. He often wondered about Sakura. When she was twelve years old he had honestly doubted that she would ever become much of a shinobi. She was too emotional, her every thought and action revolved around Sasuke. It was a weakness. He had seen her as weak and had done his best to make her stronger.

But had he really?

Her words replayed in his head over and over.

' _You never cared about my training!'_

Of course that wasn't true. He did care about her training, and he certainly cared about her. But she had a point that he had focused on Naruto and Sasuke, and maybe in doing so had neglected her more than he should have.

He was brought back to the present when Naruto spoke.

"She's right. I did fail." He was still staring at the floor, looking miserable. "I made a promise and I couldn't keep it. I couldn't bring Sasuke back, and now Sakura hates me."

Tsunade sighed and stood up from her desk.

"She doesn't hate you Naruto. She's just angry. But you don't have time to worry about that now. You have a mission."

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Alright everyone, let's get going."

As the four of them made their way from the Hokage tower towards the gate, Naruto stopped and looked back.

"Naruto, what is it?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto looked at him, concerned. "I don't feel right leaving things like this with Sakura. Shouldn't we go talk to her?" He asked.

Yamato shook his head.

"That's probably not a good idea. She's upset. The best thing to do is to just let her cool down. You can sort things out with her when we complete our mission."

Naruto looked at him grudgingly.

"Yeah alright, fine."

Sai gave a thoughtful look.

"I doubt Ugly will be in a better mood when we get back. I read in a book that women hold grudges for a long time, so she's probably going to hate you forever Naruto."

Naruto glared at the pale boy.

"You know Sai, sometimes you're just asking to be punched in the face."

* * *

Sakura had been travelling full speed for hours now and she was absolutely exhausted. She sat down against a tree and closed her eyes.

She was far from the village now, and it seemed likely that no one was following her. Not yet anyway. Once she had decided to track down Itachi Uchiha herself she hadn't gone back to the village. She had immediately set out, hoping to put enough distance between herself and Team Kakashi.

She did wish she had been more prepared though. After travelling so far so fast she was thirsty. And hungry. She hadn't brought anything with her except for the clothes on her back. From memory she knew she wasn't too far from a village where should get supplies; she also hoped someone there would have some information on the Akatsuki member she was hunting.

She stood up and stretched. She was about to set off again when she heard a scream.

It was coming from somewhere to her right and instantly she was in pursuit.

A small boy of maybe twelve was cowering in front of three large men who seemed to be robbing him.

"C'mon ya little shit! Give us your money!" One of the men kicked the boy in his side and the boy screamed again.

Sakura charged, molding chakra into her hands.

"Get away from him you bastards!" The man who had kicked the boy barely had time to register what was happening before her fist connected with his face. The man went flying before crashing into a tree and landing with an unceremonious thud on the ground.

The other two men advanced towards Sakura.

"You little bitch." One of them snarled. "I'll make you regret that!" He swung at her but she dodged easily, bringing her leg up in a kick to his gut that left him sprawled on the ground.

The third seemed unsure whether he wanted to engage with her or not, glancing from her to an escape route. Before he could make a decision though, she was on him; bringing her first directly to his chest and sending him also crashing into a nearby tree.

Sakura looked down at the boy who was openly gaping at her.

She smiled and held out her hand to help him up.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

He winced and put his hand on his ribs.

"I think they broke a rib." He said sulkily.

"Here, let me take care of it for you." Once again she brought chakra to her hands. This time though it was for healing, not destroying.

The boy's eyes widened as she healed his broken rib. When she finished she smiled at him.

"My name's Sakura. What's yours?" She asked.

The boy looked at her like he had never seen anyone like her before.

"Kohiko." He said. "Say, Sakura, you're a ninja right? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, well I'm on a mission." A self-assigned mission...

Kohiko's eyes lit up. "Wow a mission! What kind of mission? Are you going to infiltrate an enemy village? Or are you going to beat up more bad guys? Oh man, this is so cool! He was practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

Sakura laughed at his enthusiasm.

"Actually I'm looking for someone." She looked thoughtful, "But I'm not very prepared. I didn't bring any food or anything with me and I've been travelling for a while now."

"Well hey, my village isn't far from here! You can get supplies there." Kohiko said. "Besides, it's getting late anyway and you probably don't want to sleep on the ground."

As used to sleeping on the ground as she was she had to admit a bed sounded preferable. She would spend the night in Kohiko's village and get supplies. Maybe someone would even have some information on the Akatsuki or even Itachi Uchiha himself.

She nodded and followed Kohiko.

* * *

After walking Kohiko to his house, Sakura set off in search of supplies. She grabbed some bread and cheese, and fruit. She didn't want to get anything that required cooking, not wanting to attract attention with a fire. She wanted to find the Akatsuki, but she didn't want them finding her first.

She bought a canteen and filled it with water. She was running out of money and still needed to get a room to sleep in, so she decided not buy new clothes. She figured she could just wash them when she bathed.

After shopping, she made her way to an inn to get a room for the night. The lady at the front desk was an elderly woman with kind eyes. After getting a room Sakura decided she should start digging for the Akatsuki's location.

"So, have you seen any strange people come through here lately?" She asked the woman.

The woman chuckled. "My dear, we are a traveler's town. We get many strange folk coming through here."

"What about anyone suspicious? Or dangerous looking? Like maybe a man who looks like a shark?"

The woman raised an eyebrow.

"I certainly don't recall ever seeing someone like THAT. But we do sometimes get suspicious fellows wandering into town. We never question them though. Best just let them do their business and leave."

"Have you ever seen anyone in a black cloak with red clouds?"

"I'm sorry dear, I don't remember if I have."

Sakura sighed and thanked the woman before going up to her room. She sank onto the bed and looked up at the ceiling. She supposed if someone encountered the Akatsuki they would remember. So they hadn't been through here.

She had no idea where to start looking but she knew she couldn't give up. She was determined to find Itachi Uchiha, even if she had to comb the whole earth to do it.

* * *

Tsunade sat at her desk staring at her assistant with irritation.

"What do you mean you can't find Sakura?"

Shizune shifted uncomfortably under the Hokage's scrutiny.

"She isn't anywhere in the village my lady. Kotetsu and Izumo say they saw her leave yesterday afternoon and that she hasn't returned yet. No one else has seen her either."

Tsunade sighed and laced her fingers together.

"She was upset yesterday. She's probably off sulking somewhere. She'll be back soon."

"But my lady, don't you think we should send someone out to look for her? She could be in trouble."

"Sakura can handle herself. Besides, we don't have the man power to spare right now. We're thinly stretched as it is with Team Kakashi gone. Don't worry about Sakura, Shizune; she'll be home soon."

"Yes my lady." Shizune bowed and left the office.

Tsunade turned and looked out the window, worry etched on her face.

* * *

Sakura felt like she had combed the whole earth...

It had been a month now since she left Kohiko's village, and she was no closer to finding the Akatsuki than she had been then. She had traveled from village to village, doing odd jobs and small missions for pay; and asking anyone she came across for any information on the criminal organization.

Most people seemed to know nothing about them, but sometimes someone would offer her a rumor they had heard from someone else. She followed the rumors always to a dead end. Sometimes she would hear hushed whispers that the Akatsuki was on the move, but no one seemed to know where they were or where they were headed.

And no one seemed to want to know.

Another month passed by and she still had no leads. She wondered how Team Kakashi was doing with their search. She knew if they hadn't found Itachi Uchiha yet they would return to the village to rethink a strategy.

Thinking of the Leaf Village made her sad. She knew people were worried sick about her. Her heart clenched painfully at the thought of Naruto returning home to discover that his second teammate had now abandoned him too. She had known from the beginning that this would be difficult, but she honestly hadn't considered that she would be gone for so long.

She sighed and headed towards the inn she was staying at. This town was a small one, and the people were suspicious and reserved. When she had first started asking questions about the Akatsuki here, the people immediately shut her out and refused to speak to her. It was obvious that they had previous encounters with the organization and clearly wanted nothing to do with it.

She had decided that it was time to move on from this town, seeing as no one was going to help her.

When she was some ways away from the town she felt someone watching her. She glanced over her shoulder but didn't see anyone. It was probably some of the townsfolk making sure she wasn't going to double back into the town.

She picked up the pace but the feeling didn't go away. She stopped and waited, listening for any movement. She heard none, and the feeling had gone away.

She moved to keep walking but stopped abruptly when someone stepped out onto the path in front of her.

Her heart thudded in her chest.

She instantly recognized the person as Kisame Hoshigaki; after seeing his picture he wasn't someone you could ever forget. The shark nin stopped about ten feet in front of her and regarded her with mild interest.

"So you're the kunoichi who's been asking around about us, huh? I have to admit, you're not as impressive as I had thought you would be. I'm a bit disappointed."

Sakura glared at him. "You shouldn't underestimate your opponent. I'm a lot tougher than I look!" She crouched into a fighting stance, waiting for him to attack.  
Instead of attacking her though he simply stood where he was and watched her.

"And who said I wanted you to be my opponent, Pinky? Maybe I just want to have a little chat with you."

Her eye twitched at the nickname. "I doubt an S-classed criminal wants to just talk. You don't seem like someone who would be capable of an intelligent conversation anyway, Sharky." If she was going to have an insulting nickname, it was only fair he should have one too.

Kisame smirked at her and reached for his sword; Samehada, she remembered it being called in his file.  
"You know Pinky; I wasn't planning on fighting you. But since you seem to be the one who's incapable of having an intelligent conversation, I think I ought to teach you some respect."

Sakura barely had time to register his words before she dodged out of the way of his sword. Regaining her balance, she gathered chakra in her hands, preparing for his next attack. He came at her again, swinging Samehada towards her. She sidestepped in time but felt the sword graze her arm. She winced but managed to launch her fist into his stomach sending him backwards.  
He didn't go nearly as far as she had intended and she felt dizzy. She could feel the chakra in her hands draining. She looked down at them in confusion; she shouldn't be losing her chakra that quickly.

Kisame picked himself up and smirked as if reading her thoughts. "My sword here is pretty special Pinky. It feeds off of chakra. The more you're exposed to it the more chakra it takes from you." He took a step towards her with a thirsty glint in his eyes. "Samehada thinks your chakra is quite delicious Pinky. It wants another taste." He lunged at her again. She sidestepped quickly but couldn't avoid the swing completely. This time Samehada managed to nick her on the side of her neck. She felt a wave of dizziness and barely registered the blood from her wounds. She tried to stand but only managed to get halfway up before she felt Kisame kick her in the gut sending her back down again.

Her smirked down at her, clearly enjoying her pain.  
"Maybe now, you'll have better manners Pinky." He lifted Samehada to swing down on her. She braced herself, knowing she wouldn't be able to move out of the way this time.

"Kisame."

Kisame stopped mid-swing and scowled. The voice had come from behind Sakura so she couldn't see who it belonged to.

She didn't need to. As soon as she had seen Kisame she knew it was only a matter of time before Itachi Uchiha made an appearance as well. From her place on the ground she only saw his feet move in front of her. Even though they weren't at eye level with each other she instinctively closed her eyes, knowing that if she looked into his Sharingan it would all be over.

He spoke again to Kisame but kept his eyes fixed on the kunoichi on the ground.  
"I believe I told you not to kill her Kisame."

Kisame smirked at his partner.

"I wasn't planning on killing her. Just teaching her some respect."

Itachi crouched down to get a better look at Sakura. She kept her eyes closed tight, not risking being trapped in his Tsukuyomi. She felt a rush if frustration. This wasn't how she had wanted this meeting to go.

She had been searching for two months; she should have known that word would reach the Akatsuki that a Shinobi was looking for them.

She had been trying so hard to find them that she hadn't prepared for the possibility of them finding her first. And now as she lay on the ground at Itachi Uchiha's feet, she was completely helpless. Her chakra was depleted, and she could feel unconsciousness reaching for her mind.

"Look at me Kunoichi." Itachi's deep voice penetrated her ears but she refused to oblige his command.

Kisame snorted in amusement.

"I don't think she's going to listen to you Itachi. Maybe we should just knock her out."

"If I let you knock her out you'll end up killing her." Itachi responded.

"So what if I do? It's not like we need her alive. We just need the Nine Tails to think she is."

At the mention of Naruto, Sakura's eyes snapped open.

Big mistake.

Immediately her gaze was locked with Itachi's. The Uchiha looked at her with something akin to amusement.

"Got you."

It was the last thing she heard before consciousness was ripped from her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews!**

 **It means so much to me that you're enjoying reading this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it.**

 **I'm sorry for the wait on this chapter, I was busy with work and then I was in Las Vegas over the weekend for a wedding...**

 **But I managed to finish it, and now I present it to you my dear readers.**

 **I still unfortunately do not own Naruto.**

* * *

 _Help, I have done it again_

 _I have been here many times before_

 _Hurt myself again today_

 _And the worst part is there's no one else to blame_

Naruto was pacing the Hokage's office in frustration. He was desperately trying to keep calm but was finding it difficult.

"Why haven't you found her yet?" He demanded, glaring accusingly at Tsunade.

The Hokage returned his glare.

"I've told you several times Naruto, we are doing all we can."

"Bullshit!" Naruto yelled. "She's been missing for two months; you should have found her by now!"

"Mind your tone with me Naruto!" Tsunade hissed. She too was at the end of her patience. "There's only so much I can do. We have no clue where she went. Akamaru lost her scent; she obviously doesn't want to be found."

Naruto glared at her, not hiding the anguish and desperation is his eyes.

"This is your fault! If you had just let her go on the damn mission with us this wouldn't have happened! Now she's gone. Just like Sasuke..." He lowered his head in sadness and Tsunade felt a rush of sympathy for him.

He had now lost both of his teammates. The truth was, Tsunade did agree with him. She felt responsible for Sakura leaving the village. She knew that if she had just listened to Sakura and trusted her, this wouldn't have happened. She knew very well that Sakura must have gone off to find Itachi Uchiha herself, after being banned from the mission. She had suspected it the moment Shizune had told her Sakura had gone missing. She had brushed the thought off, hoping that the kunoichi had simply wanted some time to herself. She had told Shizune to wait a couple more days before looking for her.

But a couple more days had turned into a week with still no sign of Sakura.

After Ino Yamanaka insisted on going out to look for her friend Tsunade deployed Team Asuma, along with Kiba Inuzuka and his dog Akamaru, to track down the missing kunoichi.

Their search was fruitless however, when it became apparent that Sakura had covered her tracks. Eventually even Akamaru could no longer find her scent.

Two weeks after that, Team Kakashi returned to the village.

Tsunade had not sent word to them about their missing teammate, and she was not looking forward to filling them in. She had summoned Kakashi to her office immediately, and told him what had happened. He had masked his distress well, but the Hokage could see it in his posture. The two of them agreed that it would be unwise to keep it from Naruto, as he was bound to find out from someone else.

As expected, he had not taken it well.

He insisted on going out and looking for her himself and in order to calm him, Tsunade allowed it.

In the end, he and the rest of Team Kakashi were also unsuccessful in locating Sakura; Kakashi and Yamato had to practically drag Naruto kicking and screaming back to the village. Every chance he got, he would sneak out of the village to try to find anything that might lead him to Sakura. Tsunade knew, but she said nothing.

And every day he would be back in her office demanding why she wasn't doing more to find his friend.

As Tsunade looked at him now, he seemed so defeated. Her heart ached for the boy and she suppressed the desire to comfort him.

She had to play the part of the strong Hokage, no matter how broken and desperate she also felt.

"Sorry for yelling at you, Granny." Naruto said, looking up at her. "I'm just scared."

Tsunade stood and walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I know Naruto." She said gently, as she hugged him. "I'm scared too." She admited.

No matter what, she vowed she would get her apprentice home safe.

* * *

Sakura's head was pounding.

She felt like someone had hit her. She groaned as she opened her eyes. Suddenly her memory caught up with her and she wanted to vomit.

She had been taken captive by the Akatsuki. She cursed herself and her stupidity. She should have been more careful; she shouldn't have been so open in her hunt for the organization.

She felt something cold on her wrist and looked down to see that she was wearing some sort of cuff. She tried drawing chakra and failed, confirming her suspicion.

 _'So they're not letting me have any chakra. I guess they aren't taking any chances.'_

Looking around she noted that she was in some sort of dungeon. There was no bed or anything; it was completely empty.

Well, almost completely empty.

She was frustrated that she hadn't noticed him standing there, leaning against the wall watching her.

"I see you're awake." He remarked. "Good. I was beginning to think Kisame may have done permanent damage."

"What do you want?" She spat, not looking at him.

"I should ask you the same thing. It seems you were quite determined to find the Akatsuki."

She glanced at him, but avoided his face.

"Not the Akatsuki." She said. "You."

"Oh?" He took a step forward. "And what would a Kunoichi of the Hidden Leaf want with me?"

Sakura quickly looked away as he drew closer.

"Well what do _you_ want with _me_?" She challenged. Although, given what she had heard Kisame say before she passed out, she had a sick feeling that she already knew.

"Simple." Itachi said, crouching down in front of her. "You're fox bait."

She glared at the floor since she couldn't glare at him.

"I'll never help you capture Naruto." She spat.

"You don't have a choice; you're not going anywhere."

"If you think I'm just going to cooperate with you, you've got another thing coming, asshole."

"Mind your manners, Kunoichi." He stood and walked towards the door, before looking back over his shoulder at her. "Kisame will be back later to check on you."

Sakura wasn't sure if he was just telling her that, or if it was meant to be a warning. But before she could ask, he was gone. She stared at the door for a minute before standing on shaky legs and examined the room more closely.

The door was locked from the outside. She could easily break it down if her chakra wasn't being suppressed. She supposed they knew that too.

There was no window to escape from either. The walls were thick and made of stone. Like the door, it was possible she could bust through with the help of her chakra enhanced strength.

As the situation stood, she had no hope of escaping from this cell. Resigning herself to waiting for Kisame to come as promised, she slumped down and leaned against the wall, staring at the door. She wasn't about to let the shark nin sneak up on her.

She didn't know how long she waited in that dungeon. She had begun counting the stones in the wall and had gotten to almost six hundred when the door opened and she was once again confronted by Kisame. She regarded him coldly while he smirked at her.

"Come on Pinky, time to go." He said.

She looked at him suspiciously.

"Go where, exactly?"

"You want to stay in this dungeon all night?"

She figured she didn't really have a choice so she grudgingly followed him out of her prison.

Kisame led her up a flight of stairs and into a hallway. Looking around it became apparent that they were in some sort of feudal era manor. Kisame led her up another flight of stairs and into another hallway. He stopped at the third door and looked at her.

"This one's yours."

She looked up at him, surprised.

"I get a room?" She had assumed he was taking her to a torture chamber or something.

He smirked at her.

"It was Itachi who ordered it. It seems he's nice enough to let you have a real bed."

Now she was really confused.

"But… why would he let me have a room?" She asked. ' _Aren't I just fox bait?'_

Kisame shrugged and looked uninterested.

"Why does Itachi do anything?" He replied, as if that were an acceptable answer. "Anyway, there's a bathroom down the hall that you can use. If you're going to be here for a while I don't want to have to smell you." He turned and walked back in the direction they came.

Pausing, he called back over his shoulder "Dinner is at seven. If you're late, you don't eat."

Sakura was left standing in the hallway by herself, completely unsure of what to do. Should she make a break for it and try to find an exit? It was likely that the chakra suppressing cuff they had put on her had some sort of tracking ability. Not to mention she was still feeling weak and didn't think she would be able to run very far even if she did make it out of the manor without them noticing.

She didn't even know how many Akatsuki members were in the manor. She knew the organization operated in two man teams, but she wasn't sure exactly how many members there were total. She wasn't sure if anyone did.

Well, standing in the hallway wasn't going to help her figure it out.

She opened the door to her room and stepped inside.

To her surprise it was a nice room. There was a large comfortable-looking bed, a dresser, and a desk. There was even a window.

She guessed since they allowed her to have a window that they didn't expect her to escape. Which meant that they would probably be alerted if she attempted to. She sat down on the bed and considered her situation.

All things considered, it could have been a lot worse. She had expected torture and pain and maybe even death. But so far she all she had really been given was a bedroom. And having her chakra suppressed.

But just because they hadn't been completely cruel to her didn't mean she trusted them. Far from it. One wrong move and they would kill her without even blinking. But what could she do? She wasn't going to just let them use her to get to Naruto. If that meant death, then so be it. Naruto was her friend and she would rather die protecting him than let the Akatsuki get a hold of him.

But on the off chance she _did_ manage to escape and get back to the village she was going to make damn sure she had plenty of information to bring back with her. She may fail at apprehending Itachi, but she wasn't going to go back completely empty handed.

She would watch them, study their skills and their patterns. She would learn everything there was to know about the Akatsuki.

Laying down and closing her eyes, she told herself that things would be okay.

* * *

Sakura was awoken by the rumbling of her stomach. She hadn't meant to fall asleep but judging by her still-present exhaustion she figured she hadn't gotten very much rest.

Her stomach rumbled again and she slowly crawled out of the bed and made her way to the door. Peering out into the hall and not seeing anyone, she left her room. She felt the cuff on her arm throb and she knew that Itachi and Kisame must have been alerted that she was moving around the manor. Not that she cared; Kisame had told her to come to dinner. Although, he had told her to come to come to dinner at seven and she had no clue what time it was. She suspected it was after seven.

Not knowing where the kitchen was she took the flight of stairs down to what she presumed was the ground floor. The staircase led down to a large entryway with large doors on both the far right and far left sides. Not knowing which way to go she went right.

Opening the large doors, she found herself in a large study. There were rows upon rows of old books and scrolls lining the walls, a large couch in the middle of the room as well as two armchairs facing an ornate fireplace.

Making a mental note to come back to this room at a later time, Sakura went back to the entryway and tried the other doors. This time they opened to where she wanted to go. There was a large table big enough to seat a good number of people. Sakura wondered if this was where the Akatsuki held their meetings.

The thought made her hurry past the table to the adjoining room; the kitchen. The lingering smell of food was still present but there was no food in sight.

' _So they did already eat.'_ She thought glumly. Not that she was upset about missing out on sharing meal with Itachi and Kisame, but she was hungry. Scouring the cabinets, she looked for anything that she could eat.

There was nothing. The kitchen was completely devoid of food.

"Dinner was at seven."

Sakura spun around to find Itachi standing in the doorway watching her. She narrowed her eyes, not even bothering to look away. Her lack of sleep must have been making her bold.

"I was asleep." She stated. "Is there any food left?"

"No. Dinner was at seven." Itachi repeated.

Sakura scowled at him. "I told you, I was asleep. I missed dinner."

"That's your problem. Kisame told you when dinner was and that if you were late you wouldn't eat." Itachi replied in a bored tone.

"So you're just going to make me starve?" She hissed back at him. His tone was really pissing her off.

"I'm not 'making' you do anything. I didn't make you sleep through dinner, that was your own fault. If you don't want to starve, don't miss meals."

If it weren't for the fact that she didn't have a death wish, Sakura would have punched him in his stupid face. Who did he think he was? King of the universe?

She crossed her arms and glared at him. "Fine. I won't miss anymore meals. But is there _any_ food that I can eat?"

"No."

"'No'?" She asked, raising her eyebrow. "You're telling me that there is absolutely no food in this whole place?"

"Not for you."

She looked at him in shock. "Are you hiding food from me?!" She asked accusingly. Instead of answering Itachi simply turned and started walking away. He glanced back at her.

"Don't miss breakfast."

And then he was gone.

Sakura was furious. And hungry. The only thing stopping her from tearing down the whole manor to find any food was the fact that she was still completely exhausted. She trudged back up the stairs to her room and sank into the bed.

Maybe tomorrow would be a better day. But as she drifted off to sleep, she seriously doubted it.

* * *

The sun rising over the horizon and glaring into her window was what woke Sakura the following morning. She estimated it was around five thirty or so. She groaned as her stomach grumbled painfully. She needed to eat soon or she was going to be seriously sick. At least now she felt rested, her strength had returned and she didn't feel dizzy. Her immediate goal was to eat.

Itachi had told her not to miss breakfast but he the damn Uchiha hadn't told her _when_ breakfast was…

What was she supposed to do? Stand around the kitchen for who-knows-how-long to make sure she didn't miss out?

Sakura dragged herself out of bed and stretched. She certainly felt much better after getting proper sleep; however, she grimaced when she caught a whiff of herself. She figured it was time to take a bath. She left her room and walked down the hall to the bathroom that Kisame had pointed out to her the previous evening. It was a nice bathroom with an even nicer bath tub, and Sakura looked forward to using it to its full capabilities. She found a towel along with shampoo and soap, but frowned when she realized that she didn't have her bag. Which meant she didn't have a change of clothes.

Itachi and Kisame must have taken her bag from her when she was captured and didn't deem it safe to give it back to her.

' _Guess I'll just have to keep wearing the clothes I have.'_ She thought glumly, as she turned on the water and sank into the tub.

The warm water felt amazing and she wanted nothing more than to just lay in that bath forever. Her stomach rumbled again and she was reminded that she needed to be at there when Itachi and Kisame ate or she would continue to be hungry. She quickly got clean and got out of the tub. After dressing into her clothes again she hurried out of the bathroom and downstairs to the dining room.

Itachi and Kisame were already there, sitting at the table.

Itachi ignored her presence while Kisame shot her a grin.

"So you decided to join us, huh?"

She glared at him coldly.

"I'm hungry." She stated simply. It's not like she was happy about having to share a meal with notorious criminals.

Someone had placed a bowl of food for her at the opposite end of the table, away from Itachi and Kisame. She didn't know if it was because they knew she wouldn't want to sit close to them, or because they didn't want to sit close her; and she really didn't care. She was surprised that they had actually went to the trouble of setting a place for her at the table in the first place.

She sat down and sniffed at the food suspiciously. She wouldn't put it past them to poison her.

Kisame was openly smirking at her, clearly entertained by her uneasiness. Itachi continued to ignore her.

"Don't worry Pinky, it's not poisoned. If we wanted to kill you there are plenty other, more fun, ways to do it." The shark nin assured her, still smirking.

Sakura wasn't sure if she believed him or not, but her stomach clearly didn't want to care about the possible danger as it rumbled loudly.

She tentatively picked up her chopsticks and took a small bite of rice.

It tasted normal and she wasn't dead, so she quickly shoveled more down and started on the fish and eggs also present. She ate quickly and ravenously, not caring about proper eating etiquette.

"Not very proper are you Pinky?" Kisame was clearly enjoying watching her eat like a starved animal.

Sakura decided to ignore him. Or at least try to ignore him.

He didn't seem to like being ignored as he continued, "Is there anything ladylike about you? Clearly not your body, considering you're as flat as a board."

Sakura choked on the food she had just tried to swallow. She stared at him furiously.

"What the hell did you just say to me?" She asked.

"Which is too bad really," He continued, ignoring her anger. "I prefer my women to have more feminine assets."

She jerked up from the table, placing herself in a fighting stance.

"I don't give a shit what kind of women you prefer, Sharky; but don't you dare insult me like that!" She yelled.

Kisame's grin widened as he too stood up.

"Clearly you still haven't learned your manners Pinky, so maybe I should remind you how to behave."

Sakura tensed, readying herself for his attack.

"Enough."

Itachi, who had previously been ignoring their exchange, looked at them both firmly. His eyes settled on Sakura and she boldly glared at him.

"Sit down Kunoichi."

"He started it." She hissed, with a glare towards Kisame.

Itachi raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you a child?" He asked.

Sakura stared at him and narrowed her eyes.

"You know, you've got a lot of nerve Uchiha."

"Why is that?" Itachi asked, though his bored tone indicated he clearly didn't care.

"You act like you're so far above everyone else; like you're some sort of god. But really you're the worst kind of person." She clenched her fists. "Do you even care? Are even sorry?"

Itachi simply looked at her with his bored expression.

"Am I sorry for taking you captive?" He asked.

Sakura stood as tall as she could and glared at the Uchiha.

"Are you sorry for slaughtering your family and destroying Sasuke's life, you bastard?!" She shouted.

Sakura didn't even register that Itachi had moved. One second he was still sitting at the table, the next he was standing directly in front of her. She hadn't noticed how tall he actually was; he always seemed short when standing next to Kisame. But now he was towering over her, his Sharingan eyes narrowed dangerously.

"No." He said simply.

Sakura took a step back, and bolted from the dining room, not stopping until she had slammed her bedroom door.

She hated him. It was because of him that she was in this mess in the first place. Everything wrong that had happened to her in her life was all that damned Uchiha's fault.

His fault that Sasuke had left her; his fault that Naruto was always in danger of being captured; his fault that she was now stuck here, held hostage by the Akatsuki.

She felt her anger growing, bubbling to the surface. Her fist flew into the wall beside her, leaving a large dent even without her chakra enhanced strength.

"I'll kill him." She hissed to herself, ignoring the pain in her hand. "I swear, I'll kill him."

* * *

 **Well it certainly doesn't look like our pink haired Kunoichi is going to be falling for Itachi any time soon.**

 **I'm sorry if you guys are impatient but I want my story to be at least a little realistic. Right now, Sakura is still in love with Sasuke so I really don't see her falling for his brother immediately after meeting him. Especially given the circumstances. I want their relationship to actually develop, and not feel rushed or forced.**

 **Please review this chapter and let me know what you guys think! I love getting your feedback and it motivates me to pump out more chapters!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I sincerely apologize for the super long delay on this chapter!**

 **I moved out of state and I was getting settled and then I got a job and basically I've just been having to be an adult. Again, I apologize and I hope this chapter appeases you!**

 **I'm sorry for any errors in this chapter, I was in a hurry to post it.**

 **Once again, I do not own Naruto.**

 **Yet.**

* * *

 _So far away from where you are_

 _These miles have torn us worlds apart_

 _And I miss you, yeah I miss you_

 _So far away from where you are_

 _I'm standing underneath the stars_

 _And I wish you were here_

After hiding in her room for most of the day, Sakura decided she was going to go downstairs and investigate the study she had come across previously. After the situation at breakfast she hoped she wouldn't run into Itachi or Kisame, but she was sick of sitting in her room doing nothing.

She made her way down the stairs and towards the giant doors. So far, she had yet to see either of her captors, and her luck continued when she saw that the study was also devoid of Uchihas or sharks.

She gazed at the rows of books and scrolls, mesmerized. Her eyes fell on a particularly worn book and she pulled it out. Taking a seat on the couch in front of the fireplace, she began flipping through the pages. Surprised, she realized it was a book documenting the history of the Leaf Village and its clans.

She frowned, not liking the idea of the Akatsuki having that information. Not that it mattered; Itachi probably told them everything anyway.

Looking at the book, she wondered what was going on in the village. She wondered if they were still looking for her or if they had given up by now. She figured they had probably given up. She had made sure that she had left no trace of herself everywhere she went. Now, as she sat a hostage of the Akatsuki, she severely regretted that decision. Her heart sank at the thought of Lady Tsunade being furious with her for leaving the village. Kakashi-sensei too.

And what about Naruto? What did he think of her right now? He was still devastated about Sasuke, and was still trying to recover from that. She had made him promise to bring Sasuke back _to her_ , and then she herself had abandoned him. He must be so hurt, and she had no way of apologizing to him.

She desperately wished she could somehow reach out to all of them and tell them that she was okay; that she was alive. But with Itachi and Kisame watching her every move, that was impossible.

The thought of Itachi made her fists clench. She was still angry about what had happened at breakfast and how cold he had been, especially when she had confronted him about Sasuke. She shuddered at the memory of him standing over her like that. In that moment, she had thought for sure that he was going to hurt her. So, she had fled from him like a coward. What kind of Shinobi was she if she couldn't stand her ground in front of an enemy? Granted, Itachi Uchiha was no ordinary enemy. If he could mercilessly slaughter his entire family, there was no telling what he would be willing to do to her if provoked.

Still, even the thought of him made her blood boil. She knew she couldn't beat him in a fair fight, even if her chakra wasn't being suppressed. From what she knew of him, he was a very skilled Shinobi; a master of the Sharingan, and proficient in genjutsu. She had heard once that he had been a member of the Anbu Black Ops, but she wasn't entirely sure what his rank had been, or how long he had been a member.

To be honest, she didn't know very much about him at all. She knew even less about Kisame, aside from the fact that he was an asshole and he had a stupid fish face.

Sakura felt an uncomfortable knot in her stomach as she realized once again that she knew nothing about the Akatsuki. How many members were there? Do they have a leader? Why were they after the Tailed Beasts? Had they captured any more of the jinchuriki besides Gaara?

Her head was swimming with questions and she let out a groan as she put her head in her hands. There were so many answers she needed and she didn't even know where to start looking.

Suddenly getting an odd feeling she looked over her shoulder.

Itachi stood in the doorway watching her.

Sakura didn't move. She watched him uncertainly as he made his way fully into the study and began looking through the bookshelves. She considered getting up and leaving but her pride wouldn't let her. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of scaring her off again. Instead, she opened the book again and tried her best to ignore him.

Unfortunately, that was proving rather difficult. Especially when after he found a book worth his interest he sat down on the couch next to her. Sakura stiffened and kept her eyes glued to her book. Itachi made no move to even acknowledge her existence as he calmly sat and read silently.

Sakura sat as still as she could and chanced a glance at Itachi. He looked completely at peace sitting there reading his book, and didn't seem to even notice Sakura watching him out of the corner of her eye. That is, until he looked up at her with a raised eyebrow.

She quickly averted her eyes. But then looked back at him in irritation when he kept looking at her.

"Can I help you?" She snapped.

"I doubt it." He replied, before looking back at his book.

Sakura shifted uncomfortably. "Do you have to sit there?" She asked.

"This is where I always sit." He said, not looking at her.

"Well I was here first."

"I'm not telling you to move."

Sakura snapped her book shut and glared at him.

"What the hell is your problem?" She demanded. Itachi looked at her. She felt a shiver go down her spine as his Sharingan met her eyes.

"My problem, Kunoichi, is that you seem to have no regard for your situation." He responded coolly. "And if I were you, I would drop the attitude before it gets you into trouble." He looked back down at his book, clearly dismissing the conversation.

Sakura glared at him, feeling bold. "Oh, _I'm_ the one with an attitude? I'm _so sorry_ for not being overly friendly to the people who took me hostage. But you're probably used to everyone doing what you say all the time." Itachi had looked up from his book and was now watching Sakura with an unreadable expression. She didn't care though as she continued, her irritation clouding her better judgement. "Does thinking you're better than everyone else make you feel good at night, despite all the shitty things you've done?"

Itachi's eyes were narrowed as he watched her like a predator watching prey. "Careful, Kunoichi." He warned, a dangerous edge in his voice.

"Fuck you."

Sakura had no time to register what was happening before she was pinned beneath him. Itachi's hands holding her down as his Sharingan swirled dangerously. Her boldness quickly disappeared and was replaced with fear as she struggled against his grip on her wrists.

"Like I said, Kunoichi, you have no regard for your situation." His voice was laced with venom, no longer containing any of the boredom that was usually present.

Sakura knew she looked pathetic, struggling to break free whimpering in fear.

"What are you going to do to me?" Her voice cracked, to her shame.

Itachi continued to look at her for a moment before letting go of her wrists and sitting up. "Nothing." He responded, his voice once again emotionless as he stood. "Not yet. You still have use. But as soon as that usefulness runs out…" He didn't finish his threat. He didn't have to. His meaning was clear as Sakura stayed where she was, sprawled on the couch not daring to move. As soon as her usefulness ended, so would her life.

Itachi glanced at the door of the study a moment before Kisame appeared. The shark nin gave a curious glance between the Uchiha and Sakura who was still where Itachi had left her. He didn't question it though as he looked back at Itachi.

"I thought you might want to know that they're almost here." He said.

"How close?" Itachi asked.

"I'd say about ten minutes. I assumed you would want some time to figure out what to do with her." Kisame jerked his head in Sakura's direction.

Itachi looked at Sakura, as if contemplating something. "It wouldn't do for them to ask questions about her." He seemed to make up his mind as he turned to leave the study. "Come with me, Kunoichi." Sakura slowly raised herself into a sitting position and watched him warily, unsure if he was going to attack her again.

Itachi glanced behind him. "Now." He demanded irritably.

Kisame smirked at her as she stood from the couch and made her way to follow Itachi. She avoided his gaze as she left the study with the Uchiha.

Itachi led her up the stairs without a word. Sakura knew she should probably keep her mouth shut after what had just happened, but her brain was full of questions.

"Who's coming?" She asked tentatively. Not surprisingly Itachi ignored her. Her mind reeled. Were more members of the Akatsuki coming to the manor? Her breath caught in her throat at the next possibility. What if it was Naruto? What if he had managed to track her down already and was coming to rescue her? He would be walking right into a trap.

Itachi stopped outside her door and opened it.

"Get inside." He ordered.

Sakura didn't move. "Who's coming?" She repeated, more urgently than before.

Itachi regarded her silently for a moment.

"Associates of mine." He said simply. "Now get in and be quiet unless you have a death wish."

Sakura hesitated but then decided it wouldn't be a good idea to disobey him so soon after having made him so angry already. She timidly made her way past him into her room. Itachi stood in the doorway watching her.

"Don't make any noise." He said, "Do not leave this room until I gave you permission to do so."

"Why don't you want your cohorts to know I'm here?" She asked.

"Because you would be of no use to me dead." He replied, impatience evident in his voice.

Sakura was about to ask another question when Itachi glanced sharply away, apparently listening to something. He gave Sakura one last warning look before closing the door, leaving her by herself in her room.

She began pacing her room, thinking.

So, more members of the Akatsuki were now at the manor. Which ones? What were they doing here? And why was Itachi so determined to keep them away from her? He had said she would be no use to him dead, so she had to assume that if they found her they would kill her. But why? What reason would they have to kill a random Kunoichi? Couldn't Itachi just tell them what she was being used for and order them not to kill her? But maybe they wouldn't take orders from Itachi. Which led to Sakura once again wondering if the Akatsuki had a leader.

All these questions were whirling around her head as she sat down on her bed, waiting for Itachi to come tell her she could leave her room.

* * *

Hours seemed to pass and still Itachi had not come to fetch her. Her patience was getting very low and her previous fear of Itachi from early was now gone.

Sakura was tired of hiding in her room like a helpless lamb while the wolves were prowling outside. She had vowed to get as much information on the Akatsuki as she could and get it back to Lady Tsunade and the village. How was she going to do that if she kept herself isolated? Itachi had warned her not to leave her room but to hell with what the damn Uchiha wanted.

Steeling her resolve, she softly opened the door and peered into the empty corridor. No one was there and she couldn't hear anybody talking in any of the nearby rooms. Figuring they had all left and gone somewhere else, she stepped fully out of her room and made her way downstairs, keeping as quiet as possible just in case someone was there.

And apparently, someone was.

She had just stepped into the study when she felt a kunai at her throat.

"What do we have here? Seems like we have an intruder, yeah."

Sakura was frozen. What should she do? She had just been caught sneaking around the manor by an Akatsuki member who wasn't Itachi or Kisame. She swallowed and felt the kunai press harder against her throat. She figured the best thing to do was explain that she wasn't an intruder. She raised her hands in surrender to the person behind her. She couldn't see who it was and she hoped that they would listen.

"I'm not an intruder" she spoke as calmly as she could. "I'm here under Itachi's orders." Even though she was telling the truth, she didn't feel like admitting that she was technically Itachi's prisoner.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she felt the kunai leave her throat and the presence behind her back up a step.

The relief was short lived though as she turned around and saw who had been threatening her.

Flashbacks hit her like a ton of bricks.

Hot sand. A cave. Gaara's lifeless body. Lady Chiho. That dangerous and terrifying fight...

The man standing in front of her was Deidara.

She instinctively took a step back.

Deidara regarded her with curiosity. "You look familiar, yeah..." His eyes narrowed as he tried to place where he'd seen her before. She dared not say anything and tried to figure the best way out of this dangerous situation. Deidara took her in, trying to piece together a memory he knew was there.

Sakura's heart leaped to her throat when she saw his eyes flash with recognition.  
His eyes that had just a moment ago held curiosity, now held nothing but fury.

"You." He growled, moving towards her. "I do know you. You were there with the Copy Ninja and the Nine-Tails brat when we captured the One-Tail, yeah."

She was backing away from him, and he was matching her step for step. She felt her back connect with the wall and terror hit her as she realized she was trapped. She was trapped in front of a dangerous S-classed criminal; an S-classed criminal who's partner she had killed.

Deidara stood directly in front of her and glared furiously down at her. She could only see one of his eyes, the one that wasn't covered by his blond hair, but it held enough hatred and anger to make her fear for her life. He grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up above him, still pressing her against the wall.

She grabbed at his hand, trying to free herself.

"You killed Sasori, yeah. I know it was you. Zetsu told me it was the pink haired bitch from the Leaf." Sakura was struggling to breathe now. She was becoming more and more panicked by the second.

Just when she felt she was about to pass out, Deidara released her and she fell to the floor gasping for breath. She looked up.

Deidara was still standing in front of her, but now so was Itachi. Itachi was holding Deidara's wrist in his hand and was glaring threateningly with his Sharingan. Despite his angry gaze, he spoke calmly.

"You should know better Deidara, than to play with what isn't yours."

Deidara glared at Itachi with as much hate as he had given Sakura. But instead of trying to attack, he simply wrenched his wrist from Itachi's grip.

"Whatever." He growled, turning and walking away. "She isn't worth my time, yeah." Despite those words, he sent Sakura a threatening look over his shoulder that promised he wasn't done with her yet.

Deidara left the room and Sakura was left alone with Itachi.

The Uchiha looked down at Sakura breathing heavily on the floor.

"I told you not to leave your room." He said.

She glared up at him.

"I don't take orders from you." She spat. She was angry that she had put herself in such a dangerous situation, but she was even angrier that she had had to be saved by Itachi of all people. She stood up but didn't meet his gaze. Instead she focused on a spot behind him. "I had it handled."

It was an obvious lie and Itachi wasn't having it. He stood directly in front of her, blocking the spot on the wall she had been focused on. She stared straight ahead, glaring at his chest.

"Look at me."

She refused.

He grabbed her chin and jerked her head up to meet his gaze.

"Look at me Sakura."

Her eyes met his. He stared intently down at her.

"I have tolerated your outbursts and foolish behavior to this point. Despite your lack of respect, I have not harmed physically you. Do not make the mistake of expecting the same courtesy from the others." He paused. "And yes, you do take orders from me."

And with that, he was gone.

Sakura was alone in the study. Despite wanting to ignore Itachi's warning, and basically everything about Itachi in general, she couldn't help but notice that for the first time since becoming his prisoner, he had called her by her name.

* * *

Naruto stared into his untouched bowl of ramen wordlessly, Kakashi-sensei sitting next to him.

"You need to eat something Naruto." His Sensei told him gently.

Naruto ignored him and continued staring at his food, not really seeing it. He had no appetite, just like most days now. He barely ate and he hardly slept. He put in minimal effort when training, and spoke very little.

He barely noticed when Captain Yamato and Sai joined them at the table. He ignored their greeting and barely registered their conversation.

"How's he doing?" Yamato asked Kakashi quietly.

Kakashi looked at his friend and gave a small shake of his head. Yamato sighed and looked around Kakashi at Naruto.

"Hey Naruto," he said cheerily, "I'm surprised that bowl is still full! Usually you're scarfing down at least your third by now!" He frowned when Naruto ignored his joke. He glanced worriedly at Kakashi, who looked just as troubled as he felt. They of course knew what was wrong.

Sakura.

There had been no leads as to her whereabouts and they had all but given up on finding her. Lady Tsunade had stopped sending out patrols to look for her when it became evident that she was no longer in the Land of Fire. She still reminded all the teams to keep an eye out for the missing Kunoichi whenever she sent them on missions, but none ever came across her.

She had even sent a message to Gaara requesting that he be on the look-out for her but he and the rest of The Hidden Sand Village had not found any evidence that she had entered the Land of Wind.

Sai was regarding Naruto with a curious expression. He turned to Yamato. "I wonder why Naruto is so upset about Ugly leaving." He said.

Naruto clenched his fists on the table. Yamato gave Sai a warning look, hoping that for once the pale boy would show some sensitivity. Unfortunately, his hopes were for nothing as Sai continued.

"It's clear to me that she has no intention of returning to the village. It's common knowledge that if you abandon the village, you are a traitor."

"Sai that's enough." Yamato warned him. Naruto was practically shaking now but Sai ignored them both, determined to show off his obvious intellect on the subject.

"I find it interesting. She is so obsessed with the traitor Sasuke Uchiha, and now they are both traitors."

The next thing they knew, Naruto was flying at Sai and punching him in the face.

Kakashi and Yamato both bolted out of their seats and attempted to pull him off the other boy.

"Take it back!" Naruto was screaming at Sai who wasn't making a move to stop him. Kakashi and Yamato managed to pry them apart and Naruto ripped himself out of their grip and stormed off.

Yamato rounded on Sai.

"Was that really necessary?" He demanded.

It was Kakashi who answered.

"Yes. It was." Yamato looked at his Senpai with confusion.

"Naruto has been practically comatose since Sakura left, maybe some anger is what he needs to pick himself back up." Kakashi elaborated.

Sai picked himself up off the ground and himself off.

"I don't actually believe that Sakura is a traitor." He said, "I am worried for her wellbeing. But I am also worried for Naruto's as well. If punching me makes him feel better, than I am glad to anger him."

Yamato wasn't sure if he followed their logic but if it got Naruto back to his old self again, he wouldn't complain.

Naruto walked the streets of the Leaf Village without destination. He was still angry at Sai and he didn't feel like talking to him or the others. If he did, he wasn't certain he could stop himself from punching Sai again.

He knew why Sai had said the things he had. He was aware of how people looked at him these days. Always with worry and sympathy. He hated it. He hated how helpless he felt, and he hated that he was making his friends worry about him.

He couldn't help it though.

Sakura had been missing for months and there had been no trace of her. Why? Why had she gone off on her own? She hadn't said anything to him, just ran off and left him alone. Hadn't they promised both promised to be there for each other? After Sasuke had left, they had leaned on each other for support and Naruto had come to rely on Sakura being there. She was the only one who truly understood how he felt, which made her departure all the more hurtful.

He stopped and looked up. He was standing in front of the old Uchiha compound. He gazed at it, reminiscing about times gone by. Times spent with Sasuke and Sakura. When he had been a child, he had been so alone. Not a friend in the world, until them.

Standing there, remembering their faces, he felt more alone than he had ever felt in his whole life.

* * *

Itachi stalked through the manor into the living room. Deidara was sitting on a chair looking livid, and looked up when Itachi entered.

"What the hell do you want Uchiha?" He asked, glaring at him.

"What I want, Deidara, is for you to not do anything irrational." Itachi replied as calmly as he could. Unsurprisingly, Deidara launched himself out of the chair and glared furiously at him.

"I don't take orders from you Uchiha," He hissed. Itachi was getting rather tired of hearing that statement today.

He took a step towards the bomber, his voice threatening. "You'll take _this_ order Deidara. If any harm comes to the Leaf Kunoichi by your hands, you will have me to answer to. And you and I both know that you are no match for me."

Deidara swung his arm at Itachi but the Uchiha easily blocked, throwing Deidara to the floor. He looked coolly down at his fellow Akatsuki member.

"I trust I've made my point." He turned to walk away but Deidara's voice stopped him.

"Why is she even here Uchiha?" He demanded.

Itachi didn't bother turning to look at him as he replied, carefully controlling his voice.

"That's my business, not yours. All you need to do is stay away from her." With that he continued out the door, leaving Deidara on the floor looking sour.

He entered his room and sat at his desk. Now that he was alone, he put his fingers to his temples and rubbed. His headaches were getting worse and he considered himself lucky that he could even still see at all. Of course, his headaches weren't helped by Deidara being there. Not to mention the Kunoichi.

Sakura Haruno.

He had recognized her instantly as Sasuke's other teammate when he and Kisame found her. They had heard that there was a Kunoichi from the Leaf Village asking about them, and they followed the leads right to her. The moment he saw her he knew who she was.

It was lucky that he had shown up before Kisame had seriously wounded her. Now that she was here in the manor, Itachi had made sure that Kisame wouldn't pull a stunt like that again. Unfortunately, Deidara was going to be a lot more difficult. Itachi was aware that Sakura had been the one who killed Sasori and he knew that Deidara was out for blood. He could only hope that he and Kisame would be able to keep him from harming her.

Itachi sighed and leaned back in his chair. He knew he was taking a risk with the girl. If his plan were to fail, the consequences would be dire. His head throbbed again in pain and he grimaced.

He was running out of time.

* * *

 **Finally we got a little of Itachi's perspective! I promise I will try my best to get the next chapter out in a timely manner this time...**

 **As always, your reviews are welcomed and encouraged!** **Until next time, dear readers!**


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